Even swimming in clean water can be associated with the risk of various infections, as research on beach goers in Florida has shown. The authors of these studies, quoted by ScienceDaily, advise on how to take advantage of the sea without ending up with diarrhea or another health problem.
When bathing, it’s best not to put water in your mouth and not to swallow it. For hygiene reasons, we do not enter the water with symptoms of flu, diarrhea or other diseases, as well as wounds or cuts. Just before entering the water and after leaving it, it is worth taking a shower. And when planning a snack after a sea bath, wash your hands thoroughly with soap. Of course, you have to use nearby toilets – this also applies to young children.
By following the simple tips above, you will increase the chance that sunbathing and swimming will be safer. A year-long study on the subtropical beaches of Florida has proven that people who bathe even in clean water are at an increased risk of various infections.
The risk of disease associated with sea bathing, scientists studied over 1,3 thousand. sunbathers. They regularly spent time on Florida beaches where no contamination or pollution, such as sewage, was found. Scientists divided them into two groups. Some of them went into the water, others stayed on the shore. Within a quarter of an hour, the members of the bathing group were to be completely submerged in the sea three times. A few days later, everyone answered questions about well-being and health.
It turned out that even swimming in clear waters carries the risk of contact with potentially pathogenic microorganisms, notes Lora Fleming, research leader, epidemiology professor at the University of Miami, (also working for Oceans and Human Health). The presence of germs may favor, among others, high water temperature, rainfall or sea currents.
Researchers calculated that swimmers had a 1,76 times greater risk of gastrointestinal disease than people in the beach group. Sailors were also at a 4,46 times greater risk of elevated temperature or respiratory disease. Study participants who soaked complained of skin ailments nearly six times more often than people avoiding water.
People should not avoid beautiful beaches where the purity of the water is systematically tested. However, we advise you to follow simple measures that will reduce the risk of contact with microorganisms. This will make going to the beach even more enjoyable, adds Dr. Samir Elmir of the Miami Dade County Health Department.
The rules of beach hygiene should be adopted especially by the elderly and children, as well as people with weakened immune systems, experts point out.
Details in the International Journal of Epidemiology. (PAP)